Incline Stability Ball Single Arm Cable Bench Press

In SetGrip: Cable Bench Press (Incline, Stability Ball, Single Arm)

Secondary muscles
Delts, Triceps
Body part
Chest
Position
Standing
Laterality
Unilateral (one arm at a time)
Category
Strength

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Stacking three challenges at once, an incline bridge on a stability ball, a cable's constant pull, and a single working arm, makes this less a chest builder than a full-body control drill. The low anchor keeps tension through lockout, but the load stays small; save it for when bilateral pressing feels easy and you want the trunk demand.

How to do the Incline Stability Ball Single Arm Cable Bench Press

  1. Sit on an exercise ball with your feet flat on the ground and your back resting against an incline bench.
  2. Hold a cable handle in one hand and position your arm at a 90-degree angle with your elbow bent.
  3. Press the cable handle forward and upward, extending your arm fully.
  4. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower the cable handle back to the starting position.
  5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions, then switch to the other arm.

Tip: Squeeze the bar hard and keep the wrists straight over the elbows through the whole rep.

Muscles worked

Primary

Pectorals · Chest

The chest presses the arms together and forward, and decline and wide grip variations put more emphasis on the lower and outer pecs.

Secondary

  • Delts — The front delts assist every press and take over on Bradford and behind the neck variations.
  • Triceps — The triceps lock out the elbow on every press and dominate close grip and skull press variations.

Common mistakes

  • Elbows flaring wide — on horizontal presses keep the elbows at roughly 45 degrees from the torso; pressing overhead, keep them under the weight instead.
  • Losing the shoulder blade position — on bench-style presses set the shoulder blades back and down and keep them there; overhead, let the shoulder blades rotate up naturally with the arms.
  • Bouncing or rushing the bottom — control the bar down and pause for a beat before driving up, especially on decline and close grip variations.
  • Not committing to a variation — Bradford presses, skull presses and the like are hybrids; pick a fixed range and stick with it for the whole set.

Where it fits in a workout

Presses are the main movement in a push session and should go first or second. Superset them with a row or pulldown for a push and pull pair.

How many sets, how heavy and how hard: see what the ACSM position stands support.

Variations and alternatives

Similar exercises

Without cable

Easier and harder

When to talk to someone

  • Chest discomfort, feeling faint or lightheaded, or trouble breathing during or after exercise can be signs of a heart attack. In the US, call 911 right away; elsewhere, call your local emergency number.
  • Heart, metabolic or kidney disease, or symptoms like these when you are active: talk to your doctor before you start or step up training.
  • Pregnant: ask your obstetric care provider which exercise suits you.

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More exercises

Sources

  1. ACSM position stand on exercise quantity and quality (Garber et al., 2011)
  2. ACSM preparticipation health screening (Riebe et al., 2015)
  3. ACOG Committee Opinion No. 804 on exercise in pregnancy (2020)
  4. CDC: About Heart Attack Symptoms, Risk, and Recovery (2024)

Sources checked on October 17, 2026. Full citations are in the exercise library.

Animation and exercise data: ExerciseDB, licensed to SetGrip. General information, not medical or coaching advice.